Pet Microchipping: A Lost Pet’s Best Chance

Pet Microchipping: A Lost Pet’s Best Chance

How do you find your cat or dog when they get out of your house or yard? It happens.

Since The Moriches Hospital for Animals is located in a high traffic area on Main Street in Center Moriches, over the years, we have hosted many dogs who were rescued by Good Samaritans. Sometimes the pet and their owners are lucky. We always scan the dog looking for a microchip. If there is a microchip, we can find out the dog’s address and owner. If there is no microchip, then the chances of a quick reunion are dramatically reduced.

Two examples come to mind.

The first stray was a chocolate female Labrador who was so excited to be outside where she shouldn’t be that she was running in traffic on Main Street. She was lucky that the lady who brought her in took the time from a scheduled meeting to get the dog from the middle of the street. The second stray was a young German Shepherd mix that looked like it had the time of its life. He was covered in mud and exhausted. Neither dog had a collar or tag. Fortunately, both of these wonderful pups were returned to their families by the simple technology of a microchip.

A microchip is a tiny glass transponder about the size of a grain of rice. At The Moriches Hospital for Animals, we use a safe, sub-dermal system called the Home Again Microchip System to safely and painlessly inject the microchip under the skin between the shoulder blades. Each microchip has a unique ten to fifteen digit ID number that is registered with Home Again and provides the owners’ name and address. This system has been invaluable in reuniting many wandering pets with their worried owners. We heartily recommend microchipping all dogs, as they wander despite out best efforts. Cats can be microchipped as well.